Rather than take them out----DON'T DO IT, IT WILL LEAVE HOLES----trim them off a little and they won't look like too much. There's really no need to have them more than 5 to 6 inches apart. However, it's your first one and babies love to play with the ties. I usually trim mine to about 3/4 of an inch. That's not to say that you have to, you can make yours about 1/2" if that's what you want. My mother always said to tie each tie three times to keep them from untying. pull them tight too.